Moments In Time
by Monkeywand
Summary: 20 prompts. 20 moments in time. All can be read as separate pieces of work. Drabble-fic.
1. Moment 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

A/N: I have a list of prompts which I think came from Tumblr but I can't find the original post (it was many, many years ago). This is a work-in-progress, something I come back to every now and then with the intention of finishing all twenty prompts. I apologise in advance, this is not going to be a quickly completed fic. Not beta-d so any and all mistakes are mine.

Moment 1

 _When her apartment blows up she ends up staying at the loft for a few nights. One evening they end up on the roof, drinking red wine and trying to find stars in the mess of city lights and pollution. They don't find any but he's just looking at her anyway._

She'd only been staying there the past two nights but he feels as if she'd been there forever. Falling into a rhythm from the start, ever since her apartment exploded, it had become normal to see her walking around his kitchen, interacting with his family.

Tonight was something a little different. His mother was out, somewhere on the town and his daughter was a friend's for a sleepover. It meant it was just the two of them. Alone. Together.

He wanted to show her something, he'd said, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the loft. They'd bypassed the lift, heading for the almost hidden stairwell at the end of the corridor. Upwards he takes her, his hand warm and large against hers.

"I come here to think sometimes," he says, leading her outside. And she can tell why. The view was amazing. Sure, one could only see the familiar buildings that was typical Manhattan but staring down the city traffic below them made feel as if they were on top of the world. It was a feeling that left one breathless.

"Here." He offers her a glass, and she realizes at some point of her staring he'd poured them each a glass of red. She takes a sip and hums her appreciation. He smiles at her and raises his glass at her in a silent toast.

"It's a shame about the city lights," she murmurs, staring up at the sky. "This would be a perfect place to stargaze." He nods, dragging his eyes away from her and following her gaze upwards.

"Sometimes, on a very clear night, Alexis and I, we can see the stars. But it's been a while," he admits. His eyes flicker back to her, but she's still staring up at the sky in hopes to see just one twinkling light. "Let me take you to my house in the Hamptons," he says after a moment. "There's no light pollution there and you can see for miles."

She blinks and stares at him. "I'd like that," she says, offering him a shy smile. He smiles back. Even if they didn't find any stars tonight, this moment was totally worth it.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	2. Moment 2

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

Moment 2

 _He talks her into a movie night at his place and she mouths along through all the dialogues on Star Wars when she thinks he isn't looking._

She'd finally given in after his incessant bugging had annoyed the crap out of her at work last week so much so that she'd said yes just to shut him up. She hadn't even known what she said yes to. She'd been sporting a migraine, bought on by the endless paperwork that came with finishing up a case and the banter between the boys wasn't helping in the slightest.

And now here she was, mentally preparing herself for a marathon night of movie watching. Star Wars of all things. Not that she was against watching Star Wars, but she knew his obsession with the show. Especially after being given the fright of her life the first time she'd walked in on the life-size cut-out of Boba Fett in his bathroom.

The microwave dinging brings her out of her reverie. She looks up to see him walking in with two sodas in one hand and a giant bowl of buttered popcorn in the other.

"Can't have a movie night without snacks, Beckett," he says with an impish grin, passing her a soda. She hums her agreeance then grunts softly as he practically falls into her lap settling himself on the couch. Not that she really minds. She wasn't much of a movie watcher but sitting with him was always entertaining.

They're halfway through the A New Hope when he notices. Her eyes are glued to the screen but her lips are moving. He grins widely as he realizes she is mumbling along to the dialogue.

"Garbage chute. Really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you've discovered!" she mouths along as Han Solo repeats the same line on screen. He stifles a laugh but of course his movement has her looking over. She scowls at him as he full-out belly laughs, swatting him on the arm when he doesn't stop.

"I'm sorry," he cackles, wiping his eyes.

"No, you're not," she grumps. "But tell anyone and you're dead!" she threatens, turning back to the screen and crossing her arms. She's not really mad. It's her own fault really. It was the only thing playing one time when she was bed-bound with sickness and she'd ended up marathoning the entire original trilogy. But she takes care this time to only mouth along out of his line of sight.

He thinks it's cute. He knows she's still mouthing along but he doesn't call any more attention to it. He'll bring it up again at some later date when he thinks she's forgotten about it. Maybe at work one time when the boys aren't around. There's a limit to his teasing. Sometimes.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	3. Moment 3

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

A/N: Just a short one this time. This prompt seemed to have my muse stumped.

Moment 3 

_A suspect escapes down the fire escape and she climbs right out after him and tackles him down on the street – when she finds him staring she just winks and he almost faints._

It wasn't that he was unfit. No, he knew he could keep stride with her for most of the times they gave chase behind suspects. It was the fact that being behind her gave him a great view of her ass. Especially when she wore those tight jeans that seemed to hug her cheeks. Yeah, he much preferred when she ordered him to stay behind her. He could ogle her as much as he wanted, without consequence.

And today was no exception. He always knew she was hot. Extraordinarily hot. But watching her climb out the window and down the fire escape to chase after their suspect was a sight to be seen. She hurtled after him like a gazelle, gaining on him with her gorgeous long legs. The long leap to tackle the perp to the ground without breaking a stride has him drooling.

He knows he's been staring too long when she turns to wink at him, shoving the perp in front of her forward. It's the wink that almost undoes him, almost causes him to faint right there in the street. And he knows then that he is a goner. Truly and utterly doomed.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	4. Moment 4

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

Moment 4

 _She takes special care in taking down the murder board after they solve a case and he can't help but admire the way she is so careful with the pictures of their victims, with the way she gently wipes away the notes on evidence and timelines. Because she has bought them to justice and now they are gone forever and she wants them to fade gently from their responsibility._

She stares at the board taking in the haphazard way various photos and tabs were tacked to the surface, several different chicken scratches covering every other available surface so that the board in itself was one giant puzzle. She exhales deeply before pushing herself away from the desk closer towards the mess. One by one she carefully de-sticks every note, placing them gently in the cardboard box ready to be taken down to the archives. Every evidence bag and envelope follows the same path, carefully stack so that nothing is compromised.

He watches from afar as she comes to the photos of the victims. If possible she is even more careful with these, placing them with tender hands atop of the evidence already stacked away. She works methodically til the board is free of all items. He watches as she fills out the details of the case on the lid of the box, then seals it away, as if shutting the lid was the final goodbye.

He watches as she squares her shoulders, exhales, then cradles the box to her body. He knows she can send it with one of the boys but he also knows this is something she likes to do for herself.

And to him, it seems it is her way of saying goodbye and sorry all at the same time. Because she has bought them to justice and now they are gone forever. They've served this world and although their lives were cut short, she wants them to fade gently from their responsibility.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	5. Moment 5

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

A/N: This prompt was originally written in 2015 when I first started writing Moments In Time.

Moment 5

 _He takes her out to Remy's and she orders a strawberry milkshake and twirls the little umbrella it comes with in her fingers the entire time._

It's not been a particularly hard case, but it has been a long one. Delays with warrants and waiting on evidence caused them to work late into the night for the past week, and he knew it hard on all of them. He offered to shout the team dinner at Remy's, a sort of pick-me-up, but only Kate took him up on the offer. Ryan wanted nothing more than to go home to his wife and kid, and Espo had begged off, wanting to spend the rest of the evening with Lanie. He had shrugged. Sometimes it was better, just the two of them. Kate was more relaxed, as if she had to keep up her tough-girl appearances for the boys.

They'd been coming here regularly for a while now. He knew what she liked to eat, especially after a case. He'd known it from the first day they'd ordered; Burger, fries and a strawberry milkshake. He couldn't order strawberry anymore without thinking of her. Cherries, strawberries, the summer fruits; to him they were simply Kate.

She takes a long sip of her shake, savouring the sweet taste of strawberries. Her eyes close in bliss and she hums. She takes a longer sip, fingers finding the little wood-and-paper umbrella, giving it a twirl. She opens her eyes to find Castle staring at her. She can read the heat in his eyes, the look he gives her sends her heart into flutters.

He's staring but he can't bring himself to look away. Just the innocence of the movement, the simple twirling of the cocktail umbrella sends a rush through his body. He wants her, wants nothing more than to sweep her up and love her like she deserves to be loved.

He smiles at her, and she smiles back. It gives him hope. Maybe one day it might happen. One day she might let him in, but for now he'll continue loving her, loving every part of her, from the fruit flavours to the umbrella twirling.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	6. Moment 6

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

Moment 6

 _They get into heavy rain and neither one of them brought an umbrella. Back in the car she turns up the heat and her hair gets all messy and curly and all he wants to do is try and smoothen it down._

So apparently it had rained whilst they were inside. Correction, it had poured. And it was still raining. She grins up at him.

"Run for it?" she suggests, bouncing on her toes. He flashes her a dubious look. There's nothing more he hates than the feeling of the rain dripping down the collar of his shirt. She grins at him, poised to move. She holds out one hand to him and he takes it. The rain wasn't showing any signs of stopping soon.

With a whoop, he steps out into the rain, pulling her with him. Together they run, hand in hand towards the squad car, shrieking when one of them steps into a puddle, splashing the other. Inside the car they fall, chests heaving with laughter.

She switches on the heat, shivering when the initial blast blows cold air onto their bodies. They sit momentarily, waiting for the heat to take away the initial chill. He watches her fiddle with the controls, ensuring maximum heat. A few strands of hair fall in front of her face and she pushes them back, carding her fingers through her hair, loosening the curls.

His fingers twitch, itching to smoothen down the wild mess that has become her new look. An image pops into his mind, of them curled up on the couch, him running his fingers though her hair as the fire roars in the fireplace and rain pours down on the city below them. The feeling sends a warm rush through his body and he blushes.

Maybe one day…

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	7. Moment 7

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

A/N: Apologies for not updating earlier. I went on a holiday over Christmas/New Years and hit the ground running when I got back. Hopefully I can finish adding more moments to the lives of Castle and Beckett.

Moment 7 

_There's a case involving a little girl and he's still sitting in from of the murder board at midnight. She hands him a cup of coffee and doesn't comment, just works alongside him, even though she knows they won't get anywhere that night._

It hits him hard, this case. The ones with children really do, but for some reason this one is worse. He supposes it's because a little girl was murdered, one with vibrant blue eyes and a shock of strawberry blond hair. She was barely seven before her life was cut short by the horror of this world.

He holds a picture in his hands, one given to them by her parents, taken from her first school picture day. She's smiling, showing a missing front tooth and a dimple in her left cheek. His heart clenches, yearning to find the killer, the horrible person who dared to take the life of an innocent. He desperately wants to solve this case and bring the little girl to justice.

She watches him staring at the murder board. He's barely moved, even when she sent the boys home over an hour ago. A quick flick of her watch shows it's just gone midnight. She fights back a yawn, stirring sugar into her coffee cup. She grabs his, and steps back into the bullpen.

She steps up beside him, setting the cup on the desk softly. He doesn't flinch, too intent on finding a clue, something to push the case forward. She bumps his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. He blinks up at her, his eyes entirely too wide. She wants to coax him into coming home, but doesn't. Instead she sits beside him, hip and shoulder touching, eyes roaming over the board.

There's something inside him that knows they're not going to get much further tonight, but he still has hope. And he's forever grateful for the woman beside him, his partner in every aspect of his life. It's moments like these that he falls in love with her just a little bit more.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	8. Moment 8

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

Moment 8

 _He goes over to her place one morning because he thought of a clue in their case and finds out that she wears pyjamas with little bicycles on them._

He knows he should have just called first but he was too hyped up. All rational thought had flown out the window as if the information in his head slotted together like pieces of a puzzle. He'd jumped in a cab before realizing it was still technically night-time; even if she was an early bird, up before the sun most days.

But this was more important, he rationalized. This could break the case wide open. Surely she'd appreciate that.

He races up the stairs, too impatient for the elevator, and is out of breath by the time he arrives at Kate's apartment. Gulping deep breaths, he gives himself a moment before pounding on her door. He remembers only at the last second that most normal people would be sleeping at this hour.

She opens the door and he stops. She's wearing blue flannelette pyjamas with little red bicycles printed all over them. He blinks, momentarily stunned.

She huffs. "Castle!" she barks when he takes too long to respond. He startles, as if he'd forgotten why he was on her doorstep at stupid-o'clock in the morning.

"Cute pyjamas," he blurts, grinning as her face reddens. He thinks she looks adorable but he'd dare not say it aloud, especially to her face. She raises an eyebrow at him when he fails to say anything more. He grins again.

"I have clue. To the case. It'll blow the whole thing wide open." She's a little dubious, but steps aside to let him anyway. Because he's connected random facts together with his wild theories before. Previous times have taught her she'd rather have this conversation inside. To let him down gently if he was wrong, or save herself from being embarrassed if he was right.

And she was already feeling pretty embarrassed as it was, to be seen in her pyjamas with little bicycles on them.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	9. Moment 9

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

A/N: Not super happy with this, but I'm determined to finish this series. Updated only to include the prompt.

Moment 9

 _He gets her to try his favourite ice cream and she scrunches up her face and pretends to hate it but he catches her buying a full pack of it a week later, even though she insists that "it's not for me"._

This pregnancy so far hadn't been like the ones she'd read about. There'd been no weird cravings, no hunkering for pickles or fried foods, no making him dash out at ungodly hours of the night for some strange concoction they didn't have in the house. She'd been eating pretty healthily, lots of fruits and vegetables. The most abnormal thing was probably how much she was eating. She was constantly grazing throughout the day, so much so, that she could never eat a full meal, preferring to have a couple of smaller potions over the course of the day.

It'd taken Castle the better part of a week to stop frowning when she never finished a meal, until she'd written down exactly what she'd eaten one day, and his eyes had bugged wide. From then on, he constantly supplied her with different snacks, keeping the break-room, her drawer, even the glove-box in her city-issued sedan fully stocked.

The fridge and freezer at home were almost overflowing, full of food he knew she would eat, and stuff she may possibly have a hunkering for later on. Even his ice cream stash had doubled. He'd stocked up on both of their favorites, having still not convinced her to move away from the simple flavors like strawberry cheesecake and triple chocolate.

It wasn't until he'd come home from a meeting early one day, that he caught her, spooning several scoops of the very same ice cream she'd turned her nose up at last week. He'd grinned widely at her semi-guilty look as she shoved the container back into the freezer.

"It's not for me," she'd insisted, giving him a look. He'd nodded disbelievingly, coming up to wrap her in his arms.

"Blame your child," she'd continued, almost whining. "I can't believe the only craving I've had so far, is for your damn ice cream." He'd laughed and kissed her, tasting the salty sweetness of the pretzel-laced ice cream on her lips. He'd gone to take a bite when she snatched the spoon and bowl away from him.

"Get your own," she'd said. "Baby wants ice cream. and this is mine."

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	10. Moment 10

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

A/N: Dedicating this one to all those who are still around reading.

Moment 10

 _She has that soft smile playing on her lips whenever he brings her coffee, and more often than not, their fingers brush when he hands her the mug._

Somehow he just knows. He's studied her. He's made his job noticing all the little details and he knows her. It's how when she's craving a coffee, he's right there, handing her a fresh cup of the steaming drink. She knows she's smiling like an idiot, that soft, goofy grin that only comes out for him. He has one to match hers, a smile that's different from the fake playboy look he gives the tabloids, yet also different from the one he gives friends and co-workers. This one only comes out for her.

She knows this smile only comes out for him too. He's told her as much, one night when they were the only ones left at the precinct. They'd shared much that night, truths and dreams, giving themselves a ray of light in that darkness that was their case.

He knows she gets touchy at night, craving the feeling of another person just being around. Little brushes here and there, nothing too lingering, just enough contact to reassure her that he's real, and she's not truly alone.

It's the same reason their fingers brush whenever he hands over her coffee. It's his way of letting her know he's there, and it's her way of saying thank you.

Those small gestures that speak volumes.

* * *

Short one this time.

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	11. Moment 11

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

A/N: We've officially passed halfway.

Moment 11

 _She scrunches her nose when she is thinking or when she is angry, and he thinks it's adorable even though he knows she'd shoot him if he told her that._

He'd never admit to it, but sometimes he intentionally annoys her, just to see her get angry. Oh, it's never true anger, not like when she's pissed off at a case. That he carefully avoids. She's scary like that. He's seen her nearly destroy a couple of weight bags at the precinct's gym, punching and kicking out her frustrations, late at night when no one can see her fall apart.

No, this is more irritation, but in a cute way. Like she wants to tell him off, but then he waves the metaphorical white flag and brings her a coffee, maybe something sweet from the out-of-the-way bakery he knows she absolutely loves, and she'll melt.

He does it, just to see her nose scrunch up, to see her make that cute-angry face she has for him. Her eyes'll darken and she'll glare, mouth pursing to stop the scolding she wants to give him. He'll back off and grin, retreating to the boys until she calms down.

Sometimes, when he returns, he'll just sit back and watch, pretending to fiddle on his phone. Her face gets that same adorable scrunch when she's deep in thought too. He's seen it in the middle stages of a case, when they have all the information, but no one's connected the dots yet.

But it's harder for him to recreate those moments, having to wait for the right cases. Sometimes they're few and far between. Which he's often grateful for. They're the cases that ride on them, wearing them down, leaving emotional scars on their psyche.

It's during those times, he'd tread more carefully around her. Previous experience had shown he could have cute-annoyed Beckett or deep-in-thought Beckett but never both, not during the same case. He'd take whichever he could get. Whatever her face and whatever her reaction, she was adorable.

He'd never admit it to her though. She'd shoot him and call it self-defense. He valued his life too much for that.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


	12. Moment 12

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...

A/N: This one may be a little darker, I'm sorry. My head's not in a good place but I felt compelled to write and post this one. On a positive note, I do have a (semi) job back. At this point, I'll take anything if it means I'm not sitting around the house all day.

Moment 12

 _She accompanies him to one of his mother's theatre events and when one of the actors tells them that they make a beautiful couple, neither one of them corrects him._

They'd given up explaining to people they weren't together. That they were simply friends. People always took what they wanted away from the situation anyway, so why waste their breaths?

Oh, she still was still adamant about it. But lately, the protests had much less weight behind them. She's found herself wondering lately, if she should look at settling down, find a guy and start a family. She supposes watching Ryan and Jenny together has made her nostalgic. She thought maybe in the beginning, that Josh was the one, but there was always something missing from their relationship, the spark she'd always read about in story books.

It was something she'd thought about when she was younger, that fairytale life young girls always seem to dream about. Her mothers' murder had ripped those dreams apart. Her life became about simply existing. Surviving just enough to find her mother's killer, surviving enough to not let her father fall down the drunken rabbit hole.

But now? Seeing her partner interact with his daughter, makes her want that life. She finds herself wondering what it would be like to go home to family, to have someone call her mom, to lose herself in another person. She always thought it was unattainable, always thought she'd become broken, a shell of her younger self. And maybe that was once true.

But now she had her partner to thank. He'd brought the light back into her life, by sharing his too-smart daughter, by regaling her in the antics of his mother.

His latest scheme was more on his mother's part, an invite to watch her latest show. He'd planned the entire evening, jazzed up yet not so gaudy that she'd hate it. She forgets that he grew up in this life, full of actors and showbiz, full of snobbery but also down-to-earth actors. Between his mothers' and his connections, she is able to meet a few of the stars, ones that gushed over his books and her detective work.

When one comments how good they look together, she simply smiles. For this moment, they can be. She's not going to ruin the evening by protesting technicalities. They certainly look it.

And it's on the ride home that she lets herself dream again.

* * *

Lemme know what you think.

Monkeywand


End file.
